The Ortega surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 127,256 people carried this name — #239 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,320 people counted. That is up 37% from 93,131 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Ortega surname
From the name of several cities in Spain. The toponym is from Latin urtica (“stinging nettle”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ortega» (Spanish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 54,536 people named Ortega live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 1,836 people named Ortega.
Most of them — 933 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 71 départements, most often Hauts-de-Seine.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
524 people named Ortega live in Switzerland.
They live in 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 21 people named Ortega live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in East Flanders.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
143 people named Ortega are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Ortega in American newspapers,
1866–1963.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 41,426 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Ortega,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Calixto Ortega 1811–1860 · engraver -
Jaime Ortega y Olleta 1816–1860 · military personnel -
Ramón Ortega y Frías 1825–1883 · writer -
Ricardo de Ortega y Diez 1838–1917 · military personnel -
Rufino Ortega 1847–1917 · military personnel
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 248 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Ortega.
- Orsatti 214 · U.S. census
- Orsetti 100 · U.S. census
- Orsi 1,100 · U.S. census
- Orsini 3,055 · U.S. census
- Orso 1,142 · U.S. census
- Orta 7,820 · U.S. census
- Ortel 320 · U.S. census
- Orth 6,345 · U.S. census
- Ortis 1,584 · U.S. census
- Ortiz 286,899 · U.S. census
- Ortlieb 719 · U.S. census
- Ortolani 349 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Ortega is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.